Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-06-10

luluS i Hdu Will Ilc, dIiu ucSdh W CiS.
Somebody might at least have come to
the door to meet me! Thought of Mr..
Reade's words, and began to wonder
with a new sense of dread what Mrs.
Rayner was like. Was she an invalid?
Was she-mad? If not, why had she
left the correspondence about her
child's governness entirely to her hus-
band. My tears dried slowly, and
was scarcely ready when the servant
returned to tell me that tea was wait
ing for me. But my curiosity was
only to be sharpened. Tea was pre-
pared for me alone, the servant saying
that Mr.. Rayner was busy, and had
had his taken into the study. Not
word about Mrs. Rayner-no sign of
pupil! So great was my anxiety that l
minutes had finished my tea, and
was standing by the window looking
out into the garden.
1t was not yet seven o'clockAnd q
bright summer evening. On the side
of the dining-room a messy lawn
stretched right up to the French win
dows. l opened one of these and went
out. / had never seen such beauti-
full garden before. The house was
built on the very border of the marsh,
at the bottom of hill which sloped
down, covered with trees, toward the
dining-room side of the house. Imade
my way round to the front and the
moss-grown portico-from here one
caught glimpses of the marsh
through the thick trees. l followed q
grass-path cut through them, facing
the front of the house, until / came to
the pond which had excited my admira-
ton from the dog-cart Here the veg
citation grew unchecked. The water
was half covered with smooth green
duck-weed and water lilies. The path
l had followed continued through the
trees. within few feet of the pond, to
the outer edge of the little wood which
inclosed the house and garden; there .
few rough steps over the fence con-
nected it with the fOotpath along the
borders of the marsh, which Joined the
road at the descent of the hill. This
was the short cut by which Mr.. Ray
ner had reached the house before US
that afternoon.
had turned back toward the gar
den, and was close to the pond, when
heard . low grooming sound which
seemed to come out of the ground ct
my feet Looking about, saw sitting
among the reeds, at the very edge Of
the water a tiny elfish-looking child,
about two years old, in . dirty white
frock and pinafore, with . small pale
wrinkled face and thin straight red
hair, who went on with her monoton-
Gus chant without seeming at all dis
turbed by the appearance of astranger.
She only stared at me, without alter
ing her position, when I told her that
she must not sit so near the water, or
lshe would fail in and be drowned; but,
when l stopped to lift her up, she
proved her humanity by screaming
loudly and reproachmg me in baby
language too indistinct for me to un-
derstand. I supposed her to be the
child of the gardener or Of some neigh
boring cottager, and, not quite know
ng what to do with her, I carried her,
still screaming, to the house, where ]
met the servant whom l had already
seen.
IL found this child sitting, with hel
feet nearly in the pondw l said, trag.
ically.
"Oh, yes, miss, there's no keeping
her away from the pond! She's there
pretty nearly all day by herself. Come
now, Mona, its time for you to 20 te
, bed. Dirty little girl. look at your pin
afore!"
She took the child from me, and, ~
there was nothing TO invite me to stay
indoors, went out again, this time or
the side of the house which faced the
marsh. Here the grass grew rankly tc
, the very walls, and my feet sank into
little pools which wetted them up te
the ankles. However, 1 went ON until
within few feet of . window heavily
shaded by gnarled and knotted ivy
when caught sight of q woman's fact
staring intently 1t me through the glass
As soon as l saw the sunken face ani
/ large lusterless gray eyes l knew
by her likeness to the child at the pond
that this was Mrs. Rayner. retreateG
, in as leisurely . manner as I could
trying to look as if had not seen her
for there was something in the eager
hopeless stare of her eyes as mine me
them which made me feel like q spy.
Invent back to my room and wrote ,
letter to my mother. did not tell he
. Of the strange impressions made upoI
my mind by what / had seen and heard
| for she was . gentle, nervous woman
; and feared to distress her. So con
, tented myself with the general descrip
. ton of the place. had to finish thi
, by candle-light, and when I had endes
:. I rose and went to the window to Civ
one more look at the scene under
|, new aspect. My window, afterwar,
found, was over the ole At which ha.
= seen Mrs. Rayner's face; it was higl
| enough from the ground for me t
!, have, through the gaps between tn
. trees, q good view of the marsh and tn
hills beyond.
3 A low cry of admiration burst from
. me as l looked out. Over all the wild
expanse of marsh lay . white mist, ria
: ing only . few feet from the ground
i but 30 thick az to look like . silver lax
in the moonlight. The mist was dens
under my window. too, ON the yer
b grass that l had waded through
compile of hours before. As I locke
out . SILVER passed over me, and
/, drew in my head with . sudden chang
1 of thought.
( ..How cold it is! Mr.. and Mr.
Rayner must be devoted admirers I
= the picturesque to live in house TIL
must be so very damp!
RI ITO be continued